The author wished to remain anonymous.

Honestly, I never thought I would ever sail in my life. It seemed that sailboats are something elite, incomprehensible and distant. How indifferently I perceived them. Moreover, I have never been interested in sailing. An interesting situation. If someone said that I would sail along the Dnieper on my boat, I would ... She would just go nuts. And I wouldn't believe it.

My attitude to this changed when I met Anton Vasiliev, the captain of the Zabava sailboat. Then, in 2014, at the very end of summer, my friends and I decided to take a ride on a sailboat. Like the end of summer, it is necessary that at least something be remembered. And that's when it hit me. As soon as we sailed from the pier, an idiotic smile appeared on my face, which still appears as soon as I step on board (and, according to my wife, as soon as I start talking about the sailboat). At that moment, I realized that sooner or later, but I will have a sailboat. I told my friend Dimon that we shouldthink about your boat. He replied yes, it would be nice, in the hope that I would forget about this idea in a month.

Then, at the end of the summer of 2014, it was hard for me to imagine that in a year I would have a whole bunch of emotions associated with a new vehicle ...

Yes, perhaps, then I became seriously interested in sailboats, and tried to spend as much time as possible on the pier or on the boat. Asked for regattas (sometimes very annoying, you can ask Anton), helped with the raising of the boat, with repairs, tried to understand the intricacies of the structure of sailboats and their management.

By the way, in the same year my first meeting with the Volya sailboat took place. On that day, I helped Anton and the Zabava crew raise the boat. "Volya" alone and sadly stood on her keel block, covered with an awning, and probably remembered past victories. Or not. I don't know what the sailboats are thinking, but obviously they are thinking about something.

Anton said that this is a real racing boat. Not a spacious cruiser like Fun. Then I thought that the cruiser would still be cooler. Although, maybe I lied. Somewhere in the depths of my soul, I had a desire to try myself on a sports boat. Let not very comfortable, but fast and interesting. I would like to write now, as the laws of the genre probably require, that this meeting was a key one in my life. That from that moment on I saw myself only on this sailboat, and could not think of anything but the conquest of the water expanses on the "Will". But no, alas. Later "Olya" began to be forgotten, and I was busy helping the crew of the "Zabava", and rare exits on it as a sailor (I'm a bit old for a cabin boy, although this is a more correct description).

And then one day a work colleague, our mutual friend with Anton, told me that a sailboat was being sold at berth 7. He asked if I was interested in this question. Of course it's interesting. Still mocking. We agreed to go see the boat. She certainly didn't leave much of an impression. Old, beaten by life, stood on dry land for several years. But, already at that moment I realized that I would take it. There was no point in thinking too much. Moreover, plastic does not rot, the previous owner watched her better than I did my beard.

Although, perhaps, the adoption of such decisions is not amenable to logic. I realized that I'll take it, and that's it. They didn’t even particularly care about the problems that this boat had. The previous owner did not drown on it. And so I won't drown. HM. Well, how. I just won't drown. Standing on an even keel in the bay. So, during a walk, hell even knows him. I am a capable guy. I can do everything. Vaughn, I almost threw Anton out of the Finn at the turn.

Somewhere in the third - fourth minute after buying a sailboat, the meaning of the phrase "There are two happy moments in the life of every sailboatsman - when he buys a sailboat, and when he sells it" slowly began to reach me. Happiness and joy were not allowed to break out of doubts about the upcoming repairs, launching, and equipment of the sailboat, which, due to an accidental misunderstanding (so be it), went to different boxes (perhaps they were just tired of hanging out together on the same sailboat), and for a couple weeks this quest had to be solved somehow.

For we decided to go down to the water in two weeks. I was immediately warned that the boat was leaking water, and it was necessary to repair the crack at the junction of the keel and the hull. This was supposed to fix the problem. Since it was the first days of autumn, we wanted to finish the repair as soon as possible, so that there would be more time for testing on the water and rides. We thought that we might even be able to take part in some kind of regatta. And then soon the end of autumn. If we hang around too long, it will get cold. And no one walks in the cold, they told me then (yes, of course).

Yes, Anton helped a lot with regard to further work with the boat. Without him, it is unlikely that something sane happened.

So, we have such a disposition. I, Dimon, Anton, who volunteered to help (although, who am I kidding. I myself asked him to support further work with the boat), and "Will". And two weeks of time. And not a single Aladdin lamp (Sorry, Tur, but I wanted to use this phrase).

As a result, the roles were distributed in this way. Anton figured out how to close the crack, and took over the technical component. Dimon said that his hands were not intended for the repair of sailboats (it happens), and he will help financially. Anton neighed and asked Dimon how he would behave during a breakdown at sea. And I, having received a list of the necessary materials from Anton, went on my first date with epoxy, fiberglass and other materials necessary for repair.

The first two weeks of autumn, in the evenings, Anton and I conjured near the sailboat, in the hope that this would help. Then I realized the difference in working on someone else's sailboat and on my own. When someone else's, the fear of error is certainly present. But when it’s your own, it’s just as if you are being treated with emery and other unpleasant procedures are being carried out.

Having learned about my purchase, acquaintances and friends gave me a bunch of ideas about what could be done with the sailboat. Many insisted that a cruiser should be made from it, because a sailboat is not a cruiser, this is not the case. It is necessary to have somewhere to sleep, cook food, drink beer and all that stuff. To be able to go out to sea. Unless they offered to fly into space. I carefully listened to the advice of these guys, imagining in my mind how organically they would look in overalls, with tools in the process of rebuilding the boat. True, when I have these thoughtssounded, for some reason everyone said that the boat was already good, and that, in principle, it did not need serious repairs. A funny metamorphosis of human consciousness.

I followed the advice "Don't bother, look like her for a couple of years, then you will understand what you are missing." (Brains - such was the peremptory opinion of my wife when she found out about the purchase).

It hardly makes any sense to talk about the details of the repair. Unless I liked walking in a respirator. So as not to breathe dust, I said. “So that people don’t bite,” Anton grumbled under his breath.

The repair was nearing completion, and it was necessary to think about launching. The closer that day came, the more I worried about how everything would go. It's time to become more familiar with the mast, boom, and rigging. To be honest, we were pleasantly surprised. They were in really good condition.

In the evening, the day before the launch, we gathered advice on the final setting of the boat after launching. The council included Anton, myself, the mast, boom and rigging mentioned above. By the way, they knew better than me where the shroud was, where the backstay, forestay, backstay. Since no one saw the fully assembled boat (well, or did not pay attention), a wise decision was made to act in obedience to intuition. I can’t say that this decision reassured me, but there was no other way.

The launch day was quite exciting. We were really interested in whether the boat would stay on the water, or if we overlooked something. The night before the descent, I slept pretty badly. I dreamed that I was sleeping under my boat on the ground and waiting for the crane to arrive.

We landed on the water without incident. The excitement passed the moment the crane arrived. There was no time to worry, and we completely immersed ourselves in the procedure for setting up the boat. Still, we didn't do everything right. For example, they confused the fastenings of the shrouds with the fastenings of the staysail sheet blocks. Why did Zheka and Igor laugh for a long time during their last walk. Well, what to do ... It was important for me that the boat was on the water. That she didn't drown. That you can go out for a walk on it.

By the way, about walking.

I never thought before that I would be serious about regattas. That I will wait for them and prepare. For me, the regatta seemed like the same walk, only more sailboats are spinning around. But this view has also changed.

Even when the boat was getting ready to leave, I, in the crew of Zabava, took part in the masters regatta at the Metallurg sports club. There I met Igor, who offered me to stay in the water area of the club in the summer, and in the winter to get out to the upper pool, to the Zaporizhstal pier. The offer was very helpful, as the conditions of being at berth 7 were slightly unacceptable. Just a little, yes...

I was required to participate in club regattas, to speak at other regattas on behalf of the club, to take part in the life of the club, and, as I unexpectedly learned from the charter, not to swear on the territory of the club. The last condition was the most depressing, and otherwise I was all my furry paws for.

As soon as I went down to the water, Igor offered me to take part in the Khortitsa round-the-world trip. And when I was preparing for this regatta, he quite unexpectedly offered me to represent the club at the regatta dedicated to the city day on October 3-4. It was my first regatta on my own boat. One of the captains of Zabava, Vladimir Nikolaevich, helped me (and to be honest, he acted as a skipper). Then, for the first time in two years, the boat experienced good heels, sharp turns, gusts of wind ... That is, everything that any self-respecting boat should experience. me before the raceI was a little worried about how the boat would survive such a test. But during the race itself, I caught myself thinking that even if the keel fell off, this would not be a reason to quit the race. Unless, when the top of the mast is swallowed up by the muddy waters of the Dnieper. Then, probably, there was a turning point, after which I caught fire with participation in regattas. I can not say that I have a racer's instinct. But the desire to "overtake someone and do not care what's next" I had.

The diploma for participation in this regatta hangs in a conspicuous place at my house. It's like the first step into the interesting and unexplored world of sailing racing.

Then there was the day when I went for a walk on a boat alone for the first time. Then the Khortitskaya circumnavigation. Then the regatta for the decade of the 7th berth, which I went through alone (the golden rule - do not land an experienced skipper ashore, even if he urgently needs to work).

There were many interesting things. Although it seems like only a couple of months have passed. I hope that this is only the beginning, and that the next season will be no less eventful. There are so many plans, hopes and idiotic ideas ahead (well, I have no equal here). As it will be further - I do not know. But it doesn't have to be boring. And again we are waiting for a fresh wind and inviting expanses of water. And again, rolling and sails in a dream and in reality. I got hooked on this drug, as Stas Ragulin says. And I don't think I'll make it out alive.